


Golden Midnight

by PhinnPhinn



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Centaurs, Comfort, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:28:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26016526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhinnPhinn/pseuds/PhinnPhinn
Summary: Born to hunt and kill to be treated like a human,Blake might have finally found her way to freedom.The path is dark as night itself -but a golden flame lights her way.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	1. - Prelude to Midnight -

The night breeze was ice cold.  
Blake loved the silence that the dark brought to the forest and town. Loved the scent of wood, of the earth. Yet, as much as she enjoyed wandering in the shade of the treetops, she was here on a mission. A quest, an order rather.

„The Golden Mare has reappeared. Find her. Bring her to me. Dead or alive, her mane and skin will bring us a fortune.“

But what caused the Faunus‘ eyes to soften was the last sentence written on that short, demanding letter:

„A successful hunt will pay your debts and free you of your shackles.“

Freedom.  
Gods, how long had she cast aside the thought to ever be free.   
What was it like? To do as you please? To go wherever your heart leads you?  
Her fingers softly folded the paper, then let it disappear on the inside of her cloak.   
She had to focus. A brighter future was right in front of her. All she needed to do was find the Mare.  
Horses weren’t hard to kill.   
An arrow to the knee and they’ll fall and roll over, helpless as can be – provided you can land a hit on a moving target. That wouldn’t be an issue at all if the unfortunate animal was unaware and standing still though.  
Lucky for Blake the night was on her side.   
Ample darkness to hide in, to become one with the shadows and strike out of nowhere. The girl had proven her worth as a huntress time and time before. 

Today would be her last hunt.


	2. - Beauty and the Beast -

Sneaking through the thicket and the low hanging branches the girl stopped every now and again to brush off her hood and listen. Any rustle, any sign movement. She would have at least expected Grimm to roam free during this full moon night but everything seemed...awkwardly silent.  
Absolutely nothing, safe for the soft call of an owl in the distance.

How could this be? 

The forest was only silent when all had fled. But something to cause even the Grimm to turn tail?  
Whatever it was, it might have already taken the mare she was after.  
Blake didn’t want to believe in such terrible luck. If there really was something that great, that terrifyingly dangerous, then surely it would double or even triple the mare in worth.  
Excitement began to beat in the girl’s chest, combined with fear twisting her stomach.  
Her movements grew erratic, black hair brushing out of her pale face as she silently wandered further into the forest.  
She halted the moment she heard the loud cracking and following thump of a tree crashing to the ground only a little while away. A snarl of agony resounded, growing weak and silent within moments. The rustling of the leaves faded once again and the slow, rhythmical clopping of hooves against earth took its place. 

That was when Blake first laid eyes on her.  
A mane burning golden like the sun, kissed by the moon that bathed the clearing in its light -  
And the pitch black of an enormous, intensely plated and spiked King Taijitu buried underneath a tree, head crushed to bits and leaking red into the earth.  
Was this what the animals had fled from?  
For a good while the woman stared in awe at the figure in front of her. Yet she could make out little detail as the light reflecting on the fur and mane blinded her vision.

She froze when the being turned around, staring right at her. Eyes red as blood, glowing with intent.  
This wasn’t a mare, but a centaur. Did it know her intentions? Could it see right through her?  
Blake contemplated as she held her breath and hoped she would fade into the shadows as she always did.  
But it continued and turned further, slowly making its way to her, until Blake felt something from behind her. Before she knew it she had been knocked off her feet, toppling over and falling onto her knees as a Beowulf stormed towards the golden beast.  
It was out for the centaur, not for her?

The Beowulf didn’t last long though. The yellow beauty had already wound back her arm and as the Grimm attempted to jump her…it disintegrated after a single, forceful impact of a fist against its head.   
Now on all fours in front of the powerful being Blake flinched, closing her eyes and lowering her head in expectation of sharing the same fate. But today would clearly not be the day.  
Instead a gentle hand rested on her head.

“Are you alright? It didn’t get to harm you, did it?”, a warm voice spoke out of concern.  
“No, I’m fine.” 

The Faunus slowly rose her head, gazing up at the centaur that stood in front of her, back to its full height. Finally she could get a good look at her target.  
The golden glow had faded, as had the fire in her eyes. Mane, no, hair, left a warm blonde and eyes gazing at her with a soft lavender hue. But of course her eyes wandered after.  
Wandered down along largely uncovered cleavage, a thick stole of fur hiding the rest, dark fabric wrapping around waist and loosely falling along her arms.   
Or well, her arm.  
Whereas one hand was stretched out to her the other was missing, the cloth tied into a firm bow at half an arm’s length. From her waist down, as was to be expected from a centaur, her body slowly faded into a horse torso, the short, cream colored fur shimmering in the light.  
This clearly was the “Golden Mare” the latter talked about.  
And she clearly wasn’t the first to go after her.  
The scars and scabs all over the equine figure spoke volumes of past hunters coming for her.

“The woods are dangerous at night. You shouldn’t wander them alone.”

A soft hand was offered to Blake and pulled her back on her feet. Now she could get a good view of the still much taller woman that formed the rest of the Centaur.  
Her features were soft and covered in freckles that shimmered like flaked gold, plush lips forming a smile. The black cat found herself lingering on them for a little too long.

“You know, you shouldn’t stare at strangers, sweetie.”  
“Ah- I’m...sorry.”  
A warm chuckle caused the beauty’s shoulders to rise and fall.  
“I was kidding, I was kidding. I know it’s not often that you get to lay your eyes on all of this.”  
With one hand she playfully showed off her human and equine torso, slightly shifting her position in the process. She was clearly a confident one.  
“Are you lost?”  
“No, I...was looking for someone.”  
“In the middle of the forest?”  
“Is there a problem with that?”  
“Not exactly, the only people I see around here at night are bandits and...hunters...”

Blake froze as she followed the centaur’s gaze down to her hips.  
To her sheath, her blade and her ammunition.

“...I see.” Suddenly the warm expression faded and the centaur backed away, the tips of her hair beginning to glow once again. “You have 10 seconds to make your choice. Fight or run.”

Her hand slowly reached for the weapon.  
She was beautiful.  
But she was the only thing standing between Blake and her long-yearned freedom.


	3. - The Huntress from the shadows -

The centaur sighed, regret filling her voice. “Why do you always make the wrong choices...”  
Though she was taken aback as she looked up and found the girl missing.  
Did she run after all?  
No.  
She was still here. She could feel it. But where..?

“Over here!”, Blake called out as she anchored her blade into a tree and used the ribbon attached to it to gain momentum for a sudden kick from behind. The centaur toppled, feeling the breath knocked out of her. But the Faunus remained in motion, pulling back her blade.   
This beast was already drained. It would be so easy, yet something...was off.   
But before she could finish her sentence it was her turn. Lost in thought she had forgotten the situation, suddenly feeling a fist embed itself in her stomach and throwing her against a tree with its sheer force.   
Her head was spinning, but there was no time to rest. She barely escaped a fatal stomp with a shadow image of hers, disappearing into the dark once again and discarding her cloak. It only hindered her movement at this point.   
The centaur was clearly getting better at predicting her movements, blocking every kick with her functioning arm. But that would be her demise.  
As she did not realize that with every kick Blake looped her extendable ribbon around a tree on one side, and a small branch on the other.   
And as the golden beast grew more and more exhausted and sloppy, right after the next kick the ribbon pulled off the branch, letting layers of it quickly tighten at the Faunus’ grip – wrapping around and quickly binding the centaur’s arm to her body. 

With her foe now defenseless Blake jumped on her back, pulling her head by the hair and pressing the blade against her throat.

For a moment both of them just stayed like this. Chests rising and falling, heavy breaths showing their exhaustion. It had been an unfair fight. An exhausted Centaur against a well-rested hunter.  
It didn’t...feel like a triumph.  
It didn’t feel like she had just won her freedom.  
No, she felt...horrible. Tears began to fill her eyes.  
“You don’t get to judge the choices that aren’t even mine to make...”, she mumbled as she bit her lip and, for a short moment, rested her head against her victim’s back.   
Blake couldn’t get herself to do it.   
This centaur had defended the forest, had killed what the humans feared most. And she was meant to slay her just for the novelty of her mane and fur? Did her Master know this wasn’t just a mare?  
She felt the equine legs give in, the entire form falling to the ground.

“...Well, you won...Congratulations, huntress...”, the beauty rose her voice. It lacked the warmth from earlier. Instead her tone was raspy and ice cold. “Claim your price. Claim the life that so many before you yearned to take.”  
“Why are you here...”  
“...what?”  
“Why are you here if the hunters are after you? You know that there’s a town nearby, don’t you? Why would you come so close to us if they had tried to kill you over and over again?”  
“...because I hoped that maybe, if I did good, if I aided in slaying the Grimm, then maybe they would stop. Then maybe they would see me as a guardian rather than a trophy. But they never did.”, she began to choke up, “...they never did...”

Blake loosened the ribbon, slowly pulling it back into her weapon and putting it away.

“...What are you doing?”  
“What does it look like?”, with those words she jumped off the centaur’s back and walked up to her, cupping her face and forcing her to look her in the eyes. “Stay away from this village. Let us be consumed by Grimm for all I care, most of the place is under jurisdiction of a man that trades lives as if they were coin...man and beast alike.”, she explained in a stern tone.  
“You let me go? But wait, that man...did he send you?”  
“Yes. He did.”  
“...what will he do to you if you fail?”  
“...I don’t know.”  
“Will you be safe?”  
“I...don’t know.”

The Faunus girl let go of her prey but quickly turned as she felt her weapon yanked off her belt – and turned to first hear, then see the Centaur cutting a lock of hers out of her mane.  
“Take it and tell them it was all you managed to get before I was devoured by a Grimm.”  
“But...”  
“No buts. If they know about me then they know what its worth. Now go.”  
“...will you be alright?”  
“Yes, I just need some time to rest.”  
“Thank you...ahm...”  
“Yang.”  
They exchanged a small nod and smile.  
“Blake.”  
“Blake, I hope we never meet again.”  
“And so do I.”


	4. - "Freedom" -

Freedom wasn’t how Blake had imagined.  
But at the very same time it was by far not the worst that could have happened after she had delivered the large lock of gold and explained her story:

“Master.”  
“Blake. I see you return with empty hands.”  
“Not empty, Milord.”, she spoke as she pulled the mane from under her cloak. Silky and glistening with magic it clearly couldn’t be any commonplace hair.   
“That’s...you found her, and you didn’t bring her? Blake, Blake, Blake, what do I do with you...”  
“Before you seal my fate I beg you to listen.”  
“...speak, then.”  
“As you might already expect, what you sent me to hunt was not just a mare – but a female centaur. An extremely feisty and experienced example as well.”  
“Yes, yes. I wouldn’t send one of my best to simply catch a horse. Continue.”  
“However, it was not her alone I grappled with. The forest laid silent and I soon found the source of the fleeing wildlife: An enormous King Taijitu. I engaged the beast and the Centaur joined it in its fight against me.”  
“How horrifying...two against one, and you still left alive?”  
“Not just alive, but victorious. In the heat of the battle the mare grew reckless when exhaustion settled in and was quickly devoured by the Grimm as she tried to land a hit on me.”  
The man, twirling his silver beard, raised his eyebrows.  
“So she’s lost to the Grimm...a shame.”  
“Indeed. But not without me managing to grab hold and cut off this chunk of her golden mane – now truly the last of its kind.” Triumphant, Blake held out the hair to him. Lucky that she was a great liar.   
“The last remains of the golden flame...a shame, but it might be even more of a blessing this way.”, the Master smirked widely. “However, you did not fulfill your mission.”  
“I know...I am deeply sorry, Milord.”   
“You shall be granted freedom nevertheless.”  
“...what?”  
“Tomorrow, when the sun rises, you will receive a packet of rations and no longer be under my service, understood?”  
“Y-yes, Milord.”  
“Now off with you.”  
“Yes, Milord!”

And with that, Blake laid down the lock and left the room in stern steps – hiding the happiness beating in her chest until she was far enough to let out a squeal.   
Freedom.  
At last.

“Milord, why are you setting her free? Is she no longer of use?”  
“Those touched by the mare will forever be in her grasp. If I don’t let her go she’d leave herself. And on top of that”, he picked up the mane and caressed over it with his thumb, “Even before this hunt she had already brought me much more money than she cost me. She is of no more use for me – and her example will help to raise an even better huntress.”  
“Yes, Milord.”  
“Order them to grab the next young, female Faunus from the dungeons.”  
“Yes, Milord.”

The next morning was rougher than she thought.  
Blake was stripped off her gear, her weapon, given simple clothes as well as a small amount of bread and cheese.  
Guided out of the mansion like a criminal and pushed into the dirt by the guards, she didn’t exactly feel like this was the freedom she had wished for. The forest in front of her was festering with Grimm and wild animals. How was she meant to get through it without weaponry?  
A sigh fell off her lips before one of her previous colleagues appeared out of nowhere.  
Well, not nowhere. Out of hiding in plain sight.  
“Blake!”  
“Iliya?!”  
“Psssht you’re gonna make them suspect something.”  
“What...what are you doing here?”  
Without a word the chameleon Faunus gave her whatever she held – something wrapped in black cloth.  
“...that’s...my cloak, more food and...Gambol Shroud, how did you-”  
A fingertip rested on her lip, followed by a short, tight hug.  
“Less questions, more walking. Good luck, Blake.”  
“...Thank you, Ilia. I owe you one.”

And with that she was off. Watched by a pair of doting eyes and lips speaking a warm goodbye.


	5. - The forest deep -

While Blake was used to traveling for her quests, now that she was free she also found herself wandering without a true purpose. She grew up knowing little of the world, sheltered and trained only to hunt precise prey. The research to pin them down always preceded her own mission.  
But now she had no quest.  
No money.  
Maybe that was a good place to start?  
She had her weapon, some food and a cloak to keep her warm at night. Enough to catch a rabbit or even a deer. She could dry and smoke the meat to make it last longer, but she lacked the salt. Maybe someone would buy the hide, horns and bones?  
While it was a tricky situation it made the Faunus quite excited to think about all these little things.  
The day was still young and it would surely become a long one.  
For now the goal was to reach the next village and grab things to sell on the way. Shouldn’t be too hard.

Well, so she thought.  
You know, Blake wasn’t exactly the most proficient at hunting small critters.  
The birds and rabbits easily dodged her slashes and her ammunition was tightly limited, not worth blasting away at some bunny or jay that might not even die of the single shot she’d land.  
All these survival tactics she had read about on her times off proved to be much harder to execute than to remember. Yet the joy of getting to wander the woods without the constant tunnel vision on her victim was filling her chest.  
The next days, weeks, if not months would be full of hardship.  
But it excited her.  
Finally her life was her own.

As the noon sun seared the grass and earth all life searched for the cool shade of the trees, including the black haired girl wandering them. She had settled near a river, sat on her cloak and taking a couple flexible, young branches to weave them into a small basket. The sun would dry the skinned wood easily, leaving the sloppy but serviceable shape hard and durable.  
“Fruit shouldn’t be too hard to find around here...”, she mumbled as she gazed over the small stream, feline ears perking up at the view of life underneath the surface.  
Fish!  
Perfect.  
A dead branch would serve well as a makeshift spear once the tip had been sharpened with her blade. Blake proudly looked at her work, nodded to herself and took of her boots, followed by nimble fingers rolling up the legs of her pants. She hadn’t heard a thing out of the ordinary, so she entrusted the bushes that had given her the materials for the basket with her cloak and equipment and made her way down to the riverbed.  
The water was cold and made her shiver as she first dipped her toes into it.  
But the longer the lingered the more pleasant it grew and soon her steps into the river grew bolder.  
She could see the tiny fish under the clear surface quickly skitter away, but they weren’t her target. No, she was after the big ones.   
The big ones that she had seen dipping against the surface whenever a water bug became their prey.   
Soon she was in the water up to her thighs, the pants wet and heavy.   
“I should just have taken them off...”, she growled under her breath while standing still. Her shadow cast over the water clearly proved a valid bait. Maybe it gave the illusion of a safe spot?  
She wasn’t entirely sure. But it made it a lot easier to stab for the fish, even if Blake clearly required a lot more practice in the art of spear fishing.

Countless attempts were made, countless attempts stayed without reward while the merciless sun caused droplets of sweat to roll down the Faunus’ face and neck. Hope became fleeting. Did she just waste her precious time trying to catch a fish? Well, one last try.

Aim…  
Breathe…  
And throw!

Near silently the spear entered the surface and impaled the large, wild Carp she had her eyes on.  
It struggled while Blake stared at her first catch which soon went limp and motionless.  
Her large, golden eyes sparkled with joy. She retrieved the stick and her prey, brought them to the shore and sat down to contemplate what to do with it now.  
Make a fire? There was plenty of dead wood around, but no flint to made a fire with. She also didn’t have any glass. But maybe, with the sun shining so relentlessly…  
Her eyes wandered to the large rocks along the river – and sure enough, one of them was quite dark in color and exposed directly to the sunlight.  
Blake brought her lunch over, carefully cut open the fish, gutted it and cut the meat off the bones as good as she could. She had no oil and god, this would take a while even with the fish turned into fine slices. But it was better than nothing. She brought her few possessions to the stone and sat down to watch it, picking berries off a nearby bush and placing them in her little basket while waiting and allowing her pants to dry over a nearby stump.  
The scent of fish soon filled the area. Not strong, it was barely cooking on the hot stone, but it was enough to make her mouth water as the sun began to lower towards the horizon once more.  
She was used to eating thrice a day. It wasn’t the fanciest food, but one meal was warm each day.  
Not eating since dawn made her hungry to the point of her stomach growling, but she wanted to carefully ration what little bread and cheese she had. It was still a long way til the nearby village and she’d rather eat little for a couple days than none for the last stretch. 

But Blake clearly wasn’t the only one picking up on the smell of food.  
Her ears perked up at heavy footsteps, growls and huffs of breath.  
“...Ursa...”, she whispered as she quickly hid behind a tree, her personal scent masked by the fish.  
The large Grimm wandered towards the river, sniffing around...and reaching for the slices.  
Maybe it was hunger.  
Maybe it was lack of sleep.  
Maybe the heat of the sun had risen into her mind.   
But in her desperation, the Faunus picked up a rock and threw it at the Ursa, drawing its attention to her half naked form. It snarled then turned and charged towards her. These Grimm were large and slow, dodging it wasn’t the issue and Blake picked up her blade to extend it into its direction.  
It firmly lodged itself into the pitch black fur, leaving a deep cut and the beast in pain.  
That only seemed to fuel its anger.  
Agitated and aggressive it attempted to slam into the girl who threw Gambol Shroud upwards, anchored it to a branch and pulled herself up, delivering a hard, but not yet devastating kick to the monster’s head.  
She was hungry.  
She was tired.  
Why had she been so careless?  
Yet, as the Ursa prepared to get on its hind legs and topple her, it suddenly went stiff after a loud, dull sound...and turned to nothingness. Followed by a familiar golden glow fading away as it appeared in her sight.

“...Didn’t we say we didn’t want to meet again, sweetie?”


End file.
